By the time Intan Iskandar Perwira receives a phone call, the clutter has been building for a long time.
If it’s not the homeowner reaching out, it’s usually a family member who has run out of options.
“They’ll tell me, ‘I don’t care how much it costs, I just want my loved one to start living a normal life again’,” says the 36-year-old founder of a professional cleaning service.
For the past five years, Intan and her team – which includes her husband, Muhammad Nawwar Nasaruddin, 30 – have been restoring hoarder homes overwhelmed by years of accumulated items.
“No matter how bad the condition of the houses are, I never refuse to take on any of the jobs,” she says.
Over the years, she has dealt with worst-case scenarios, where homes are inundated with piles of rubbish and everyday belongings. They were so mixed up that it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.
“It does sound absurd, but this is the reality some hoarders are living through.”
The work is physically demanding, requiring her to assign between seven and 10 members of her team to get a house done within a day. But larger jobs can stretch over several days if families prefer a more thorough and slower approach.
Some homeowners choose to be present throughout the entire process, helping sort through their belongings and deciding what to keep.
However, there are also those who find the experience too overwhelming or too shameful. In that case, they will stay away from the house and instruct Intan to discard everything.
Not one and done
Even after clearing the disarray, the work isn’t completely done.
“When clients ask me why the house still smells after we’ve cleaned it, I have to explain that after years of living like that, the odour has already seeped into the walls and furniture. Clearing away the items can’t erase everything.”
The homes also present significant health risks, which Intan takes caution of.
Her team wears gloves and masks throughout the cleaning process, while additional vaccinations for her staff are in the plan.
She has encountered severe moulding, insect infestations and even discovered pythons hidden inside boxes that had not been opened for years – showing just how dangerous living conditions like these can be.
After years spent inside these homes, she believes this can happen to just about anyone, regardless of age and socioeconomic backgrounds.
“There’s no such thing as only older people have hoarding behaviour ... I’ve worked on a number of young adults’ homes too.”
Although Intan personally believes having the willingness to change plays a major role in whether a person’s living conditions improve, she also acknowledges that lasting change cannot happen through cleaning alone.
“I always talk to my clients and persuade them to change their lifestyle. Sometimes I will be a little strict, but I try to communicate as best as I can to get them to change for their own good.”
